Texas football progress — and upcoming challenge — on display at its 2025 Pro Day

Texas football's group of NFL draft hopefuls gathered at the Longhorns' training facility Tuesday to make one final public push toward history.

The Longhorns, who sent 14 representatives to the league's scouting combine earlier this month, are within touching distance of Georgia's record of 15 players selected in the 2022 draft. A crop of 21 Texas players worked out in front of NFL coaches, scouts and executives at the school's pro day event Tuesday.

And they like their odds of winning the right to call themselves the most prolific draft class ever.

"I don't see why not," former Texas safety Andrew Mukuba said. "Everybody that's on the list did an outstanding job. They're good at what they do. So I don't see why not."

The full list of participants included Mukuba, Kelvin Banks Jr., Jahdae Barron, Morice Blackwell Jr., Jaydon Blue, Silas Bolden, Isaiah Bond, Vernon Broughton, Alfred Collins, Hayden Conner, Juan Davis, Quinn Ewers, Velton Gardner, David Gbenda, Matthew Golden, Gunnar Helm, Gavin Holmes, Jake Majors, Bill Norton, Barryn Sorrell and Cam Williams.

Each took part to varying degrees. Those who had tested well at the combine — such as Barron and Golden — limited their participation to skill periods. Others, especially those who did not receive combine invitations — Blackwell, Bolden, Davis, Gardner, Gbenda and Norton — went through more comprehensive testing.

Notably, Helm didn't re-attempt his 40-yard dash after running a 4.84 with a sprained ankle at the combine. He was still wearing a support on his ankle Tuesday. Collins, wearing a walking boot on one of his legs, didn't participate much.

Texas had not provided testing data from the event at the time of publication.

The spectacle illustrated the transformation of the Texas program under coach Steve Sarkisian. The Longhorns sent 11 players through the NFL Draft last year, a mark they're likely to break in this cycle. In 2023, five Longhorns were chosen. In 2022, there were zero; marking the fourth time since 2014 that one or fewer Texas players made the jump to the pros.

"My first year, going 5-7 and having nobody drafted, Pro Day, coming here, it looked a lot different than now," Sorrell said. "Knowing that me and a lot of people out here were the key components in that change, that's the best thing, especially walking out of these doors knowing that I left this place better than where I found it."

The occasion also offered a reminder of the challenge that faces Sarkisian and this next group of Longhorns. They successfully reloaded after losing 11 NFL draft picks, making their second consecutive trip to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff, where they bowed out Jan. 10 to Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

Can they repeat the feat — or progress further — after potentially losing even more NFL talent?

"It's going to be a lot different," returning safety Michael Taaffe said. "... Everybody's mindset is enjoying the process, but in the back of the mind, remembering how you felt on Jan. 10, when we were so close. We really, truly believe that we're going to win it all."

Reach Texas Insider David Eckert via email at deckert@gannett.com. Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Access all of our best content with this tremendous offer.